Shadow Donors Plague Lawrence Mayoral Candidate Modesto Maldonado

Shadow Donors Plague Lawrence Mayoral Candidate Modesto Maldonado

By: Tom Duggan – July 8, 2017 OCPF-contributions maldonado    OCPF-expenditures maldonado According to The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, (OCPF) an enforcement arm of the Secretary of State’s Office, Lawrence City Councilor Modesto Maldonado has taken more than $2,410 in campaign contributions that have not been accounted for.  Maldonado is running for mayor […]

State Fines Former Lawrence Mayor Lantigua Again for Refusing to Disclose Campaign Bank Activity

State Fines Former Lawrence Mayor Lantigua Again for Refusing to Disclose Campaign Bank Activity

By: Tom Duggan, 4-4-16 Former Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua is in trouble again with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF). The state’s political watchdog agency has fined Lantigua another $1,875 (as of 4-3-16) for refusing to file his 2015 year-end, campaign finance reports with the state. The reports were due on January […]

Lawrence Councilors Fined For Refusing to Disclose Campaign Contributions, Expenditures

Lawrence Councilors Fined For Refusing to Disclose Campaign Contributions, Expenditures

By: Tom Duggan – 2-22-16 The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF ) has fined two Lawrence City Councilors and warned a third because of campaign finance violations from the last city election.  Lawrence City Councilor at Large Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez, who has served more than 10 years on the city council, was fined […]

Ethics Commission Issues Enforcement Letter to State Trooper Seth Peterson for Improperly Using His Official Position

Ethics Commission Issues Enforcement Letter to State Trooper Seth Peterson for Improperly Using His Official Position

Intervened with a tow company operator in an effort to have a tow charge reduced for a family member, then retaliated against the tow company On May 21, 2015, the State Ethics Commission (“Commission”) voted to find reasonable cause to believe that Massachusetts State Police Trooper Seth Peterson violated the state’s conflict of interest law […]

Methuen City Councilor Joyce Campagnone Fined $5K for Conflict of Interest Law Violations

Methuen City Councilor Joyce Campagnone Fined $5K for Conflict of Interest Law Violations

July 28, 2015 The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission has fined Methuen City Councilor Joyce Campagnone, $1,000 civil penalty for the violation of conflict of interest laws and was ordered to pay restitution to the City of Methuen in the amount of $4,000. Campagnone, a Methuen City Councilor, is also a full-time paid employee of the Greater Lawrence […]

Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington is The Poster Boy for Why We Need a New Public Records Law

Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington is The Poster Boy for Why We Need a New Public Records Law

  NEIL HARRINGTON IS THE POSTER BOY When I started this journey to reform our state’s public records law five years ago I had no idea that the Town of Salisbury would feature so prominently in my motivations to add stiff penalties for officials who refuse to turn over public documents. Yet, here we are. […]

Ethics Commission Fines Former Southampton Fire Chief $7,500 for Conflicts of Interest Laws, Stephen Hyde, Sr. for Altering Payroll Records to Pay Son for Work He Didn’t Do

Ethics Commission Fines Former Southampton Fire Chief $7,500 for Conflicts of Interest Laws, Stephen Hyde, Sr. for Altering Payroll Records to Pay Son for Work He Didn’t Do

Chief Altered payroll records so his son received payment for work he did not do; presented false claims for payment to the Town of Southampton The State Ethics Commission has fined the former Southampton Fire Department (“SFD”) Chief Stephen Hyde, Sr. $7,500 for violating sections 23(b)(2)(ii) and 23(b)(4) of G.L. c. 268A, the conflict of interest […]

Lahey Clinic Hospital, Inc. of Burlington Penalized $540,000 for Installing and Operating Engine without Approval

Lahey Clinic Hospital, Inc. of Burlington Penalized $540,000 for Installing and Operating Engine without Approval

Company Will Pay $100,000 of Penalty to Support Regional Transportation Service BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized the Lahey Clinic Hospital, Inc. $540,000 for installing and operating a 3,000-kilowatt combined heat and power engine at its Burlington location without proper air quality approval and for submitting misleading and inaccurate information. “A […]

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, Police Chief Announce Crackdown on Noise, Police Sweeps Through Troubled Areas

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, Police Chief Announce Crackdown on Noise, Police Sweeps Through Troubled Areas

Chief Says Weekend Patrol Shifts to be Dedicated to Noise Complaints By: Tom Duggan and Jon Bergeron – May 24, 2014 Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, flanked by Police Chief Fitzpatrick and more than a dozen Lawrence Police Officers stood on the steps of the Lawrence Police Department Saturday and announced a new crackdown on noise […]

Coakley To Pay Fine for Campaign Finance Violations on Her Federal Committee Expenditures

Coakley To Pay Fine for Campaign Finance Violations on Her Federal Committee Expenditures

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) has concluded that State Attorney General Martha Coakley’s state campaign committee was not in compliance with the campaign finance laws when her U.S. Senate committee paid for campaign services that should have been paid by the state committee. Under Massachusetts law, federal committees are prohibited from providing […]

Former MassHealth CEO. Philip Poley Fined $25,000 for Conflict of Interest Law Violations

June 5, 2013  The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission has fined former Mass Health CEO Philip Poley for admitted to repeatedly violating Mass. General Law chapter. 268A, the conflict of interest law. Pursuant to the Agreement, Poley, a former Brookline resident, paid a $25,000 civil penalty pursuant to an agreement between Poley, a former Brookline resident and […]

Springfield City Councilor Timothy Rooke Hit with Campaign Finance Violations

  Springfield City Councilor Timothy Rooke has agreed to pay $5,000 to the state’s general fund for campaign finance violations that include using campaign funds for personal purposes, failing to keep records, and not disclosing certain financial activity, according to a disposition agreement between Rooke and OCPF. Rooke paid $2,000 to the state when the […]

Lantigua Pays Fines for Campaign Finance Violations

Lantigua Pays Fines for Campaign Finance Violations

By: Tom Duggan – January 30, 2013 (6PM) Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua has paid his debt to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign Finance (OCPF) to the tune of $5,000.  Lantigua made the payment Wednesday January 30, 2013 after cashing out $5,000 from a personal Ameriprise investment account, transferring the money to his personal checking account, […]

Patrick Blanchette fined $20,000 for taking money from campaign

Blanchette is Mayor Lantigua’s Economic Development Director and Former City Council President By: Tom Duggan – October, 2010 The State Office of Campaign Finance (OCPF) has fined former Lawrence City Council President Patrick Blanchette $20,000 for taking money from his city council campaign account going back to 2006 among other violations. Blanchette has admitted to […]